New energy plant planned for Fairfield area

A recent announcement brought happiness to residents of Middletown; a community about 17 miles from fairfield.

NTE Energy, which already has plants in North Carolina and Texas, has chosen middletown as the site of its newest power plant. NTE, which is based in St. Augustine, Florida, wants to build the new facility near cincinnati Dayton and Oxford State roads.

The plant will run on natural gas, according to NTE Energy, and will be sited on 50 acres. It will generate 500 megawatts of power or more, which is enough to supply around 400,000 homes.

The new plant, called the Middletown Energy Center, will create between 300 and 400 new jobs, with hiring slated to start early in 2015. Once the plant is online, which should be in 2018, there will be 25 to 30 permanent positions for maintenance technicians and operators.

The jobs, according to NTE, will be well-paying, enabling people to support families on their earnings. In addition, the jobs will be stable, and that in turn could start a real economic recovery in the area, with the plant attracting additional businesses to the region. The immediate impact will be increased patronage of local businesses as construction workers start the build.

NTE might consider working with brochure printers to create a mailer for area residents, describing the plant and the positions available and urging people to apply.